He was among the expected candidates in the potential field that includes Yetta Kurland, an attorney who hosts her own radio show, Brad Hoylman, the chair of Community Board 2, and Andrew Berman, the executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historical Preservation.

Interestingly, as City & State pointed out, all of these candidates identify as LGBT and the race highlights some of the disagreements and political divisions within the community.

Update: In a brief interview, Mr. Johnson told The Politicker he is definitively exploring a run, but hadn’t made a final decision yet.

“I think any candidate who opens up a campaign commtitee is definitely exploring the race,” he said. “I’m setting things up to be able to have the resources when things ripen a little more. 2013 is a long way away, we still have to get through the state and presidential elections.”

Asked for his motivations for running, Mr. Johnson cited a range of issues.

“I think that the Council and Council Members deal with the major ssues that affect the quality of life in their districts,” he explained. “Affordable housing is one of the most important and key issues along with keeping really good public schools. … Also I think it’s really important we have smart land-use policies.”